UPDATE: Actually, Planned Parenthood Raised $650,000 In 24 Hours

Susan G. Komen Foundation founder Nancy Brinker

After news that leading breast cancer charity, The Susan G. Komen Foundation, was stopping its funding to Planned Parenthood's breast screening and health initiatives, Planned Parenthood supporters donated over $400,000 in 24 hours. And a grant from a Texas couple will raise the total to $650,000. UPDATE: Now, according to NYTMetro, Mayor Bloomberg says he'll donate up to $250,000 to Planned Parenthood, which would raise the total to $900,000.

Last year, the Susan G. Komen Foundation gave $680,000—and about $580,000 in 2010—in grants to Planned Parenthood affiliates, which went towards breast screenings and education. However, Planned Parenthood believes that anti-abortion figures inside (like VP Karen Handel) and close with the Komen foundation pushed Komen to stop the funding (Komen has claimed that a House investigation—launched by a pro-life Republican—into Planned Parenthood's practices are why it cannot offer grants).

Amy and Lee Fikes' foundation is giving $250,000 to the organization; the couple released a statement saying, "Our family is saddened that the far right has relentlessly and successfully pressured the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to cut funding for breast screening, referral, and education support to low-income women who, until now, have been able to depend on the partnership between Komen and Planned Parenthood for their health." The money will go towards "establish[ing] a Breast Health Fund at Planned Parenthood, so that their health centers across the country can continue to put the real needs of women ahead of right wing ideology. We encourage others to join us in replacing the funds lost, so that no woman’s health is imperiled by Komen’s unfortunate decision."

Komen is on the defensive, with founder Nancy Brinker issuing a YouTube video explaining its decision, "We will never bow to political pressure... The scurrilous accusations being hurled at this organization are profoundly hurtful to so many of us. But more importantly, they are a dangerous distraction from the work that still remains to be done in ridding the world of breast cancer." Brinker named the foundation, which has raised nearly $2 billion towards breast cancer researched, after her sister.

Planned Parenthood says, "In 5 years, support from Susan G. Komen allowed PP health centers to provide nearly 170,000 breast exams & 6,400 mammogram referrals." In the furor, it's believed that one of the Komen Foundation's top officials resigned, because she objected to the decision to defund Planned Parenthood.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on February 2, 2012 2:55 PM

Comments [rss]

RobertMosesSupposesErroneously

Wait, so she posted a video to address the Planned Parenthood controversy without once using the words "Planned Parenthood?"

Plenty of corporate jargon like "performance criteria" and "strategy implementation", and no mention of the actual issue? That's some great Straight Talk!

Fredric L. Rice

It is absolutely amazing that a massively beneficial charity organization that saves women's lives every day was able to be infiltrated, subverted, and destroyed from within by right wing Christianic theofascist extremists who hate everything our country stands for.

THIS is why Americans should register to vote so we can eliminate the theocracy-driven fascists from positions of power over our country, both in government and in the private sector.

http://www.SkepticTank.Org/

SonnyBobiche

Oh Geez! The Komen foundation spends its money where it wants and PP has not lost anything. It's a win win for both. If I were into conspiracies, I would think that this was planned from the outset to milk more money from all those stingy do-gooders who only pay up when they are outraged .

bggb

Here, let me allow this illustration to help highlight the flaw in Komen's logic.

http://static.someecards.com.s...

LBSki

Also, Nancy Brinker looks possessed in that still shot of the first video.

LBSki

http://www.weeklystandard.com/...

I'm going to argue that Komen realized their money wasn't actually being spent on anything related to breast cancer and made a business decision to spend it elsewhere. Also PP is a big baby. They got more money in one day, from whining, than they did from mooching off of the breast cancer survivors all year. People and private organizations are free to give money to whomever they want. This isn't actually as scandalous as everyone wants to make it.

bggb

It's not scandalous. It's crass partisan politics in the name of being anti-choice.

It's putting abortion myopia ahead of women's health, especially poorer women of color.

Donors are free to express their opinion and take their money elsewhere, and they have.

robingee

Yeah but they bein' dicks.

kikisebloo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T... is this even considered a legitimate source?

edgie168

"opinion magazine"

YouandWhoseArmy3D

The weekly standard in a nutshell:

"ABORTION IS MURDER; MORE WAR!!!!!!"

Look up cognitive dissonance n00b.

virgilstarkwell

Bloomberg just announced he's kicking in another $250K.

katiebaker

what a nightmare. just admit the decision was politically driven.

randomtransplant

"An evangelical Christian group called Lifeway was selling pink bibles for Komen. But Lifeway discovered Komen was giving Planned Parenthood money.
"As soon as people figured out the link between Komen and Planned Parenthood — that there was a funding link there — Lifeway pulled all the bibles off the shelves immediately," said Amy Black, a political scientist at Wheaton College outside Chicago who studies evangelical Christians. "This was the kind of thing that captured a lot of activists' attention."
Some critics speculate that Komen was particularly susceptible to pressure from activists because of Brinker's political ties."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/healt...

SPsGhost

"nearly $2 billion towards breast cancer researched [sic]"

Actually, very little of the money they raise goes toward research. Their self described mission is in "raising awareness" and as such the money primarily goes towards media and other promotional events. Which is all well and good, but is self serving. I think everyone is very much aware of breast and other cancers now. The real need is in funding research and access to those who can't otherwise afford preventive screenings and treatment.

FutureMan

what the fuck is she thinking with that haircut? ?

Connie Dobbs

I think she's trying to appeal to the Warren Jeffs' wives contingent.

GentleGiant

Her haircut is not the issue.

robingee

Right-o, I'm more concerned with her GHASTLY fashion sense. No pearls? What the what??

Harper324

probably the same thing she was thinking about all that botox/facelift/skeletor face. scary stuff!

SPsGhost

"launched by a pro-life Republican"

They're not pro-life, they are anti-choice. Please use the proper, objective description of their political motives, instead of their own propaganda.

Mordicai

You know, like the pro-life way of denying funding to cancer victims. Pro-life!

Kittyliteral

Suck it, Susan G.

austintx789

That video was awful. Did you mean to make a point? Because all I heard was political mumbling that was somehow labeled as "straight talk."

Over the River

While I have no affiliation with Planned Parenthood, I want to personally thank everyone for their contributions. I'm a long time contributor, not huge amounts by any means, but I have spent the last 41 years contributing to "pay them back" for having financed my vasectomy in 1972.

delicats

1. Way to go, Mr. Mayor!

2. Komen- ridding the world of breast cancer? More like, ensuring that only poor women who have to go to Planned Parenthood get breast cancer.

Dirk

I made a big donation to Planned Parenthood this morning in honor of Nancy Brinker and requested they send her an acknowledgment.

In the future my money will be going to PP and to organizations that try to prevent ALL cancers.

BombaySplashVermouth

There is another organization to consider too - NARAL. The war on women has several groups fighting for our lives against the far right.

UrbanUndead

Good call.

ktinnyc

Kommen fund has been totally exposed. ~~Over 70% of donations to operating expenses~~ and it's being run by the right wing, anti-choice crowd. Good job, you've just blown up your gravy train with biscuit wheels.

theevilerone

. According to Guidestar, 82.5% of their revenues go to program services, not administrative/operating costs.

ktinnyc

I stand corrected. I got that figure from an article in the Harvard Crimson that has since been corrected but I still stand by the rest of my post.

Henry Stewart

SGK spends about 20 percent of its budget on administrative costs and fundraising, and another 30-35 on education; critics deride the latter as money spent on ribbons and balloons. In terms of percentages, PP spends more on direct health services for women than SGK, is the point that people, who were saying SGK wastes a huge chunk of their money, were trying to make (before it got mixed up around the web into "70% to operating expenses.")